We know, it's August, and everyone's thinking about cocktails in the sun rather than Christmas, but the festive season will be here before you know it.

Of course, there's going to be plenty of things to see and do in Liverpool over the festive period, including our own Christmas market - but for when you fancy a bit of a road trip, you can make the short trip along the M62 to one of the biggest Christmas markets in Europe.

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Launched in 1999, Manchester's Christmas Markets initially consisted of just one site in St Ann's Square. Now, the markets are spread around multiple locations in Manchester city centre, attracting millions of visitors from far and wide every year.

Book your train to Manchester now on Trainline to avoid higher on-the-day prices.